


Aunt Pepper

by mainstreamelectricalparade



Series: Hardest Lessons (Softest Results) [8]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Awesome Pepper Potts, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Kid Peter Parker, Pepper might not be Peter's mom but that doesn't mean she's not a good mom, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Pepper Potts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 21:35:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17475383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mainstreamelectricalparade/pseuds/mainstreamelectricalparade
Summary: A look into some of Pepper's favorite moments she has with Peter during his childhood.





	Aunt Pepper

**Author's Note:**

> People were pretty hyped about this when I mentioned it on Tumblr, so hopefully it lives up to expectations! I had so much fun writing this. Some of the sections got away from me a little bit, so they're pretty long, but in my opinion there's nothing wrong with a little extra cuteness, so there we go.

**August 11, 2001**

The first time Pepper met Peter, she refused to admit she was uncomfortable.

She saw him the day after he was born, fresh out of... the womb... with a tube in his nose and the baby equivalent of a reptile habitat heat lamp keeping his tiny body warm.

Tony was clearly trying to act nonchalant and impartial, but Pepper could tell he was already falling in love. At least a little bit. Whether he realized it or not. She came and sat with him in the NICU for a little while, and apart from looking up to greet her when she got there, Tony kept his eyes on the baby in the bassinet the entire time.

The nurses hovered, but when Peter started to fuss, they encouraged Tony to calm him instead of jumping in themselves, insisting there wasn't much the baby really needed right now besides comfort, and he was surprisingly efficient at it, placing a hand gently on Peter's bare tummy and making soothing sounds so quiet Pepper was surprised Peter could hear them, because she barely could.

After a short period of sitting in near silence, broken only by soft cooing noises from Peter or the nurses whispering to each other as they went about their duties, Tony sat up a little, his hand still resting lightly on Peter, and glanced at Pepper, then back at his new son. He cleared his throat quietly.

“Hey, Peter,” he said, his voice low, “I want to introduce you to someone. Say hi to Aunt Pepper.”

Pepper jolted slightly at the new title, running it through her mind several times to wrap her head around it. She scooted closer to the bassinet and peered inside. An entirely involuntary smile spread across her face at the sight of the sweet little newborn inside. He was absolutely darling, with big eyes that reminded her a little of Tony's (she thought most babies were born with blue eyes, but apparently that wasn't always the case, because Peter's were _dark_ ) and soft-looking fuzzy hair that was barely there.

“Hi, Peter,” Pepper whispered. “It's wonderful to meet you.”

 _Aunt Pepper_.

She sort of liked the sound of it.

**January 2003**

“ _Miss Potts, please report to my office immediately_.”

Tony's voice crackled through the intercom on Pepper's desk, with a phony professional tone to it. Pepper rolled her eyes and pressed the button.

“The one day you actually come to work, why do you insist on spending every minute bothering me so much that neither of us get any work done?” Pepper asked, trying to convey exactly how unimpressed she was without Tony being able to see her face.

“ _Your complaints are noted and undoubtedly warranted, but I'm pretty sure you'll actually like this particular interruption_ ,” Tony said, clearly unrepentant.

Pepper sighed. “I'll be right up.”

\---

Pepper got to Tony's office in no time, and she knocked on the door briskly.

“If you're Miss Potts, come right in, if you're anyone else, kindly f- uh, get lost.”

Pepper rolled her eyes and turned the handle, pushing the heavy door open and stepping inside. “You asked to see me, Mr. Stark?” she asked, biting back (some of) the sarcasm and closing the door behind her.

She was a little surprised to see Tony sitting cross-legged on the floor, but less so when she saw Peter sitting barely a foot away from him, playing with the set of wooden blocks that, Pepper realized with a warm feeling in her chest, she, herself, had given him for his birthday.

Tony looked up and grinned at her. It was a look that usually made her nervous, but Peter was here, so it couldn't be _too_ bad. “Come sit down,” he said, patting a spot on the floor nearby, “right here.”

Pepper was a little skeptical, but she crossed the room and sat down in the most ladylike manner she could, since she was wearing nylon tights and a pencil skirt that would not take as kindly to sitting cross-legged on the floor as a pair of slacks might. “What's going on?” she asked.

At the sound of her voice, Peter looked up with his adorable, doe-eyed expression, and broke into the wide, half-toothy baby grin that never failed to melt her heart. Before Tony could say a thing, Peter reached up to Pepper and squealed, “Pep!” Pepper's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

Tony leaned back, a look of pride and satisfaction on his face, not that Pepper noticed. “ _That's_ why I called you up.”

Pepper was speechless. She tried to think of something, _anything_ to say, while she reached a hand out and let Peter grab onto it with both of his tiny hands. He used her arm as support as he stood up on his wobbly baby legs, beaming at her. One of his hands moved from hers to reach for her again.

Pepper's eyes were filling with tears, but she didn't actually care, despite Tony being able to see them perfectly. She gently freed her hands from Peter's grip and moved them under his arms to lift him up and into her arms, pulling him close and kissing the side of his head.

“Oh, Peter,” she whispered, unable to come up with much else. She drew back, and his little hands patted at her damp cheeks, like he was trying to wipe her tears away. “When did he start saying my name?” she asked, rubbing her nose against Peter's little button one, causing it to scrunch up like a bunny. Pepper let herself giggle along with Peter at the sight.

“Literally just now,” Tony said, despite Pepper still not paying attention to him. “Got the blocks out for him to play with while I did some boring desk stuff, he lit up like a Christmas tree and blurted it right out. Guess he remembers who gave him those blocks. Don't you, Petey?” He reached over and tickled Peter's tummy briefly. “Who gave you the blocks?”

“Pep!” Peter said, bouncing in Pepper's arms. “Pep Pep Pep!” He babbled her name fast enough that the string of “Pep”s blurred together: _Pepepep_.

Pepper cooed and pulled Peter close again. “Thank you, sweetie,” she said to him, as he snuggled into her shoulder and tucked his head under her chin. He really was the cuddliest baby ever. “This is a wonderful present.” She smiled at Tony. “And it's not even my birthday, yet.”

**September 2005**

Pepper was just starting to consider calling Tony to ask how everything was going. Today was supposed to be Peter's first day of preschool, and Pepper knew that both Peter and Tony had been dreading the drop-off. Peter hadn't grown out of being clingy, not that Tony minded in the slightest, and his pediatrician had recently suggested it might have even developed into separation anxiety.

Pepper had a feeling the doctor was right, and it broke her heart, though probably not nearly as much as it did Tony's.

Before Pepper could reach for her phone, there was a tentative knock on her door, then it cracked open and Tony himself poked his head into her office. He looked... oddly sheepish. It wasn't one of his usual looks.

“Tony, hi!” Pepper said, surprised. “I was just about to call and ask how drop-off went.”

Tony visibly winced.

“What?” Pepper asked. “What was that? And why are you standing half outside like you're hiding something?”

Tony cleared his throat and stepped fully into the room, bringing something – some _one_ – in with him. Pepper's mouth dropped open in surprise.

“ _Peter_?” she blurted out, while Tony reached over Peter's head and closed the door behind them. “Why isn't he in school?”

Peter whimpered and pressed himself closer to Tony, hiding his face in Tony's pant leg. Tony reached down and rubbed his thin shoulder soothingly. “It's ok, bub,” he murmured, before looking back at Pepper.

“Drop-off went...” he hesitated. “Well. It didn't.”

“Clearly,” Pepper said, her eyes still on Peter, who was sniffling and rubbing his cheek against Tony's pant leg, almost like a cat. It would have been adorable if he wasn't crying. She leaned forward over her desk and softened her voice. “Peter, sweetheart, what's wrong?”

Peter's little arms wrapped tightly around Tony's leg. “Daddy, don't go,” he whined, his voice heartbreakingly sad. The kind of sad he only ever was when Tony had to go somewhere without him.

Tony bit his lip and bent down, hoisting Peter into his arms and settling him on his hip. He let Peter nuzzle under his chin while he looked at Pepper. “The, ah, school staff told me to just take him back for the day. Try again. Tomorrow. The next day. However long it takes for Peter to be ok with it. They couldn't...” He sighed heavily, pressing his cheek against Peter's hair. “Couldn't find a good distraction for him. He noticed as soon as I started to walk away. Panicked, big time.” His hand found the back of Peter's head, and he cradled it gently, swaying in place as the little boy sniffled and whined into his neck.

Pepper sighed, too, sympathetic to Peter's fears, tilting her head. “I understand. So what are you doing here? As in, in my office?”

Tony winced again.

“Obie says the board won't let me keep Peter with me during my meeting this morning,” he said quietly, cringing as Peter's whining got louder and his little arms tightened around Tony's neck. “I don't know why, he's always been good in the conference room before.”

“Daddy, don't go,” Peter repeated desperately.

Tony cast an equally desperate look in Pepper's direction, and she understood what he was trying to ask. She sighed once again and stood up, walking around her desk and approaching Tony and Peter.

“Peter,” she said softly, “would it be ok with you if you stayed here with me while Daddy goes to his meeting?”

“No,” Peter cried, not lifting his face away from Tony's neck. Tony's eyes were closed, like every moment of this physically hurt him. It probably did.

Pepper tried to think of something that might sway Peter's opinion. Maybe...

“Peter,” she tried again, “you know what I don't like about my office?”

“What's wrong with your office,” Tony grumbled, not opening his eyes. Pepper didn't answer him, waiting for Peter to look at her, or at least indicate that he was listening.

Finally, Peter peeked at her. “What?” he asked, his voice small.

Pepper morphed her face into her best exaggerated pout. Tony, opening his eyes, poorly stifled a snort. “My office is very, very lonely. Did you know that?”

Peter lifted his head and looked at her properly, his eyes widening slightly. “Lone'y?” he repeated, dropping an “L” in the adorable way he did sometimes.

“ _Very_ lonely,” Pepper said emphatically. “I don't have anybody to play with when I'm in here by myself.”

Peter's eyes widened more. “ _Nobody_?”

“Nope,” Pepper said, shaking her head. She perked up, like she was just coming up with an idea, even though she had, in fact, come up with it before the conversation started. “I have an idea! Can I tell you my idea, Peter?”

Peter nodded, his curls bouncing.

Pepper reached out and adjusted and smoothed his hair as she talked. “What if you play with me for a little while today? It would mean a whole lot to me.”

Peter hesitated, glancing between her and Tony. “Um...”

“Play with Aunt Pepper, bud,” Tony said encouragingly. “You like playing with her, right?”

“Yeah,” Peter said shyly. He gave Pepper a small smile. She smiled back.

“Don't want Aunt Pepper to be lonely, right?” Tony wheedled.

Peter shook his head quickly. “Nuh uh.” He looked at Pepper, contemplating.

Finally, Peter reached for Pepper. Slowly, but voluntarily. “I pway with you, Aunt Peppew.”

Pepper sucked her lips back between her teeth, internally cooing at the adorable 4 year old speech. “Thank you so much, Peter,” she said earnestly, reaching out and accepting the little boy as Tony passed him into her arms, a look of guilty relief on his face. She kissed Peter's cheek and balanced him on her hip, much like Tony had been doing. “I promise, we'll have a lot of fun, and your daddy will be back before you even notice he's gone.”

Peter looked doubtful at that, but he allowed Tony to kiss him goodbye and hand Pepper his bag full of toys and books with minimal fuss.

“I won't be gone long, baby, I promise,” Tony whispered, pressing his forehead to Peter's briefly. Looking at Pepper, he added, “You're a lifesaver, Pep.”

Pepper chuckled. “I know. Go, you'll be late.”

It wasn't until Tony had closed the door behind him that Peter's wobbly “brave face” melted, along with the rest of him.

“Daddy,” he whimpered, a little hand reaching toward the door like Tony might come back through it and stay with him.

Pepper bit back a sigh and went back to her desk chair, sinking into it with Peter in her lap, dropping the bag on the floor next to her so she had both arms free to try to comfort Peter.

“Peter, don't be sad,” she crooned, petting his hair like Tony always did. “He'll be back soon. He promised, remember?”

“No, back _now_ ,” Peter whined. “I go.”

Pepper steeled herself. “No, honey,” she said, gently but firmly. “Your daddy needs you to stay here with me, just for a little bit.” She leaned down, tucking Peter close with one arm so he didn't topple off her lap as she did, and dug into his bag to find something to try to distract him with. “And you said you'd play with me, remember?” Her hand closed around something soft and she pulled it out blindly, silently cheering when she saw that it was his beloved duck plushie, the one he had gotten for his very first Christmas. She kissed Peter's forehead and offered the duck to him.

“Look, Peter, it's your friend Quacky,” she cooed. “Quacky doesn't want you to be sad, he wants you to play and have fun while you wait for your daddy to finish his boring meeting.”

Peter's little hand closed around the duck, taking it out of Pepper's loose grip. He stroked the soft yellow fluff on it with one finger, looking at the little stuffed animal with a subdued look on his face, tears in the corners of his eyes occasionally escaping and sliding down his face. Pepper wiped them away as they fell.

“I miss Daddy,” Peter whispered, looking more at the duck than at Pepper.

“I know, sweetie,” Pepper whispered back. “Your daddy misses you, too.”

Peter looked up at her. “He does?”

“Of course,” Pepper said. “He misses you so much, he doesn't like leaving you. You know how I know that?” Peter shook his head. “I know that because I know how much he loves you. Do you know how much he loves you?”

Peter hesitated. “Lots?”

“ _More_ than lots,” Pepper corrected. “He loves you so much that there aren't enough words to describe it. And he gets so sad when he can't stay with you.”

“Daddy sad, too?” Peter asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Mm hmm,” Pepper hummed in affirmation. “He wants to spend time with you every bit as much as you want to spend time with him. But you know what? What makes him even more sad is seeing you cry, so how about you try smiling instead? For your daddy?”

Peter sniffled. “Cwying make Daddy sad?”

Pepper knew for a fact that it most definitely did. “It does. So let's cheer him up by cheering up ourselves, does that sound good?”

Peter nodded slowly. “Ok. Want Daddy be happy.”

“Yes. We want Daddy to be _very_ happy,” Pepper said solemnly. “Can you smile for him?”

Peter gave Pepper a small, closed-mouth smile. It wasn't one of his famous, million-dollar toothy grins, but it was a start, and a drastic improvement.

Pepper hugged Peter closer. “That's better,” she said. “Now, what do you say we read a book. Do you want to pick one from your bag?”

“Ok.” Peter kept smiling tentatively as he picked a book and settled into Pepper's lap so she could read it to him, and she watched as that little smile slowly turned into a real one.

\---

Pepper read Peter a couple of books, then he fell asleep on her lap halfway through a third, so she carefully shifted him to rest his head against her shoulder, and she held him like that, allowing him to sleep right there while she answered some emails and worked on Tony's schedule.

Tony came back after a little more than an hour. He came in without knocking, and Pepper quickly raised a finger to her lips to tell him to be quiet. He approached her desk, and his face softened at the sight of Peter's sleeping face, his cheek squishing slightly where it made contact with her shoulder.

“Looks like he wore himself out with that meltdown,” Tony whispered.

Pepper glanced down at Peter and smiled. “He wasn't too difficult,” she said honestly. “Not like it sounded like he was at the school, anyway.”

“Good,” Tony murmured, reaching down and resting a hand gently on Peter's head. “Thank you for this, again.”

“Any time,” Pepper said, no longer surprised by how sincere her response was. She hadn't been surprised by how much she loved that little boy in years.

Tony smiled, then leaned down and grabbed Peter's bag, slinging it over his shoulder. “I'm going to take him home.”

“Of course,” Pepper agreed. “He needs some time with his dad. Lots of cuddles.”

“He's gonna get it,” Tony said, his eyes bright at the prospect. “As much as he wants.” He reached for Peter, slowly and carefully lifting him up off Pepper's lap.

As he was being moved, Peter's eyes fluttered and opened. His gaze landed on Tony, and his eyes lit up, though they were still heavy with sleep.

“Daddy,” he mumbled happily. He snuggled close as Tony pulled him into his arms and kissed the side of his head.

“Let's go home, Petey,” Tony whispered. “Thank you, Pepper.”

“Any time.” Pepper repeated. She watched them go, feeling indescribably fond, and the feeling only intensified as she heard a tiny voice before the door closed:

“Wuv you, Aunt Peppew.”

**May 2009**

Pepper looked across the table at Peter. He poked at his dinner, pushing pieces of potato and chicken around the plate and barely eating any of it.

“Peter, what's wrong? Don't you like the food?” Pepper asked.

Peter looked up. “Yes,” he said, before looking back at the pea he was squishing to death with the back of his fork.

Pepper hummed thoughtfully. What could be bothering him right now? “Did something happen at school?”

Peter flinched minutely. That was a _yes_.

“What was it?” Pepper pressed. “Was your teacher mean?”

A small head shake.

“Did you do ok with the class work?”

A nod.

It was like pulling teeth. Pepper bit back a sigh. She was sure Tony would be better at extracting an answer from Peter, but Tony was at SI in a board meeting, and the timing cut into Peter's usual dinner time, so he hadn't brought him along.

“What about your classmates? Did any of them say something to you? Something mean?”

Peter gave no inclination that he was going to answer, and Pepper waited long enough that she just about gave up, turning back to her own dinner, wishing she had the “magic touch” that Tony seemed to.

Finally, Peter spoke up.

“The teacher told everyone to make Mother's Day cards for their moms,” he said quietly. “She told me to read a book since I don't have a mom to make a card for.”

That didn't sound so bad. Peter had done that every year so far. “Ok,” Pepper said slowly.

“At recess, one of the boys in my class asked me why I didn't make a card, and I told him my mom doesn't live with us,” Peter continued. “And he asked why and I said I didn't know, and he said that wasn't a good answer, and the only reasons moms don't live with their kids is because they hate their dads or because they're dead, and Dad told me that's not what happened.”

“Right,” Pepper said, unsure where he was going with this story.

“He told me that it's really weird that I don't have a mom.”

“Oh,” Pepper said sympathetically, “honey that's not true-”

“I told him I don't need one.”

Pepper blinked. She was glad he didn't feel like he was missing out on having a mom, but she had no idea what he was talking about. “What do you mean?”

“I said I don't need a mom, because I have a Pepper.”

Pepper blinked again, this time several times in rapid succession to prevent herself from crying. “Oh...”

Peter pressed on, like he hadn't realized he had just said the sweetest thing in the world. “He asked what a Pepper was, and I said you're like my aunt but we're not related, and he...” he frowned and bit his lip. “He said that's dumb. He said Peppers don't count. It would only count if you were married to my dad.” His eyes went wide as he looked at Pepper, searching her face. “Peppers count, right? Even if you're not married to my dad?”

Pepper had never felt so much love for one person before in her life. “Do you think they count?” she asked softly.

Peter didn't answer right away, his face turning shy. “Yeah. Is that ok?”

Pepper felt a huge smile break out across her face. She held her arms out to Peter, and he eagerly climbed off his chair and ran to hug her. “Yes, Peter, that's more than ok.” She kissed the top of his head as she pulled him close. “You have no idea how ok that is.” She swiped a tear off her cheek subtly. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you, too, Aunt Pepper.” Peter hugged Pepper for a while longer, then drew back, the shy look on his face again. “Aunt Pepper?”

“Yes, Peter?”

“Can I make you a card for Mother's Day? I know you're not my mom, but you _are_ kinda like one.” Peter shuffled his feet nervously.

Pepper wasn't sure how much more of this her heart could handle. She reached out and took Peter's small hands in hers. “I would love it if you made me a card.”

Peter broke into a grin. “Really?” he asked hopefully.

“Really,” Pepper said, smiling back.

\---

On May 10, Peter shyly presented Pepper with a handmade card. “Happy Pepper Day” was printed neatly on the front in the middle of a big, lopsided pink heart in deep blue crayon (Pepper's favorite color). On the inside, there was a 3rd grader's stick figure drawing, a taller stick figure with red hair holding hands with a shorter one with brown hair, and the simple but sweet message of “I love you, Aunt Pepper! Love, Peter” in the same blue crayon as the cover.

(In black pen, in the bottom right corner of the card, a tiny message was scribbled in Tony's familiar scrawl: “Thanks for being his 'Pepper'”.)

**Summer 2012**

“Aunt Pepper?”

Pepper turned toward the sound of the voice, looking up from her tablet in surprise. “Peter! Honey, you should have been asleep hours ago,” she said, setting her tablet down and sitting up straighter.

Peter came to stand by her, twisting the hem of his pajama shirt in his hands anxiously. “When is Dad going to be back?” he asked, his voice small.

Pepper understood why he was awake, now.

Rhodey's mother, Roberta, who had been looking after Peter earlier in the month, said Peter had refused to let her change the channel when the news broadcast showed the battle between the Avengers and the aliens ( _aliens_ ) in New York. He had caught a glimpse of Tony's Iron Man suit flying through the air, and insisted on watching, to see what happened.

He had seen Tony fly a missile through a wormhole into space, and then fall back through with barely enough time before it closed.

(When Happy picked Peter up to take him back to New York, the first thing he asked was “Where's Dad? Is he ok?”)

Pepper patted the couch next to her. When Peter sat down, she held her arms out to him and he leaned into her embrace. His shoulders felt a little tense when she wrapped an arm around them, and she smoothed his hair off his forehead with one hand as she pulled him closer. He all but slumped against her side and rested his head on her shoulder.

“Are you worried about your dad, sweetheart?” Pepper asked. She felt him nod, and she rested her cheek on top of his head. “Honey, he's just in a lot of meetings this week, working with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers.”

Peter was quiet for a minute. “I...” He bit his lip.

“You what, honey?”

Peter sniffled, and immediately looked embarrassed about it. “I miss him. I want him _here_.”

Pepper's heart ached. “Peter, he'll be back tonight, and he was here this morning.”

Peter rubbed at his face with his sleeve roughly. “I _know_ ,” he said, anger hiding the misery in his voice. “It's not the same. He's _always_ home when I am, and when he's not it's never for _this_ long.”

The tremor in Peter's voice made Pepper wonder if, sometimes, things like this reminded him of four years ago, when Tony had gotten on a plane with the promise of being back in three days, and was gone for three months.

She was afraid to ask.

Peter rubbed at his face again, scrubbing his sleeve over his eyes until they were more pink from friction than from trying not to cry, and scooted away slightly. “Sorry for interrupting you, Aunt Pepper, I'm sure you were doing something really important, I'm gonna go back to bed now.”

“Peter, honey, you know I don't mind,” Pepper protested, but his shoulders were hunched and he looked extremely uncomfortable, and she didn't want to make it worse. She sighed. “Do you want me to tuck you in again?”

Peter hesitated, then shook his head. “No thank you.”

“Ok,” Pepper said, frowning. “Good night, Peter.”

Peter stood up and shuffled out of the room. “Good night, Aunt Pepper,” he mumbled.

Pepper had a hard time concentrating on work after he left.

She ended up watching HGTV.

She didn't even like HGTV.

\---

Barely half an hour later, Peter came back. He most likely hadn't gone back to sleep, and he looked just as anxious as before. He approached the couch slowly, asking a silent question. Without saying a word, Pepper shifted into a comfy lounging position and opened her arms for Peter to crawl into, which he did, a small look of relief on his face.

Maybe Pepper didn't make as good of a “human mattress” as Tony did, but Peter seemed happy to snuggle in the same way he did when he snuggled with his dad, obviously seeking any comfort Pepper was willing to offer. She carded a hand through his hair and pulled the soft throw blanket off the back of the couch, covering both of them with it.

“JARVIS, dim the lights and turn on a Disney movie, please,” Pepper said quietly.

“Anything specific?”

Pepper glanced down at Peter. His eyes were fixed on a spot on the floor, and his hand scrunched repeatedly into the fabric of the blanket. “Something happy,” she murmured, running her fingers through his hair soothingly.

\---

Pepper had sort of hoped the movie and low lighting might put Peter to sleep, like it usually did, but she understood when he was still awake halfway through it.

Close to the end of the movie, the penthouse door opened and Tony came in, stirring up a bit of noise as he shed his suit jacket and shoes in the entry, but otherwise staying fairly quiet.

Peter lifted his head off Pepper's shoulder and looked toward the sound with wide, hopeful eyes as Tony came into the living room. “Dad?”

Tony looked up, looking mildly surprised. “Hey, kiddo,” he said, his voice tired but warm. “What are you still doing up?”

Peter bit his lip and shrugged hesitantly. “Couldn't sleep.”

Tony glanced at Pepper, but aside from a knowing facial expression, she didn't offer any answers. “Ok, Pete. Do you think you can sleep now?”

Peter answered by climbing off the couch and latching onto Tony as tightly as he possibly could, his thin arms wrapping around Tony's waist. He buried his face into the fabric of Tony's shirt over his stomach and made no indication of wanting to move any time soon.

Pepper figured Tony could handle things from here. She stood up, draping the blanket over the couch arm but not bothering to fold it. “I'm going to go home,” she announced.

“Go ahead,” Tony said, reaching down to work his fingers into Peter's hair.

Very quietly, Peter added, “Thank you for staying with me, Aunt Pepper.”

“It was my pleasure, sweetheart,” Pepper responded, bending down to kiss the top of his head. “Get some sleep, ok?”

Peter nodded, and offered her a shy smile, which she returned. Straightening up, she made eye contact with Tony over Peter's head and mouthed, “Talk to him.” Tony nodded, and Pepper made her way to the door.

Before she closed it behind her, she heard Peter say quietly, “I missed you.”

There was a small pause, then Tony replied, “I missed you, too, bambino.”

Pepper closed the door.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for a few days, now, and I'm super proud of it. Pepper is such a good character, and I want her to have a good relationship with Peter in my AU, so I wanted to make sure they got some good scenes. (I couldn't resist a little Iron Dad, too, though... but it's mostly Pepper and Peter.)
> 
> Find me on Tumblr and Instagram! @riseuplikeglitterandgold


End file.
